Johnson



(No Model.) zsneecs-sheet 1..

Wjs. JOHNSON. y HYDRAULIC AIR COMPRESSOR.

No. 349,594. Patented Sept. 21, 1886.

(No Medel.) 2 sheetssheet 2.

W. s. JOHNSON.

HYDRAULIC AIB. COMPRESSOR. l No. 349,594. l Petented Sept. 21, 1886.

f El //nessess aven/af.-

N, PETERS. Phokrlthagmpher, Wishngon. ELC.

UNITEDl STATES PATENT 'OEE1cE.

IVARREN S. JOHNSON, OF-W'HITEWATER, ASSIGNOR TO THE JOHNSON ELFOTRIG SERVICE-COMPANY, OF4 MILVAUKEE, VVISCON SIN.

HYDRAULIC AIR-COMPRESSOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No 349,594, dated September 21, 1886.

Application iilcd August 17, 1885. Serial No. 174,562. (No model.)

To CZZZ whom, t may concern,.-

Be it known that I, VARREN S. JOHNSON, of Vhitewater, in the county of Valworth, and in the State of lVisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements iu Hydraulic Air-Compressors; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and eX- act description thereof.

My invention relates to hydraulic air-compressing devices; and it consists in certain pe- Yculiaritiesof construction, as will be fu1ly-set forth hereinafter.

In the drawings, Figure lis a perspective view of my device partially broken` away to show the construction. section, on line x x of Fig. 3, of the four-way valve. Fig. 3 is a vertical section of said valve. Figs. 4, 5, and 6 are details. Fig. 7 is a plan view ofthe lower portion of my device,v illustrating by full and dotted lines the action of the spring.

Fig. 2 is a horizontal` A represents the flooring, base, or platform to which my deviceis secured,and which base is Amade in the form of a pan, preferably, to catch any drip which may be emptied at the B is the water supply or inlet pipe, which vcouples with the branch O of the four-wayvalve casing-C. From the branch C2 ofthe same casing a pipe, D, leads to thehollow post Vflexible or movable diaphragms-such as thin sheets of rubber-H and H', between the said rubberdiaphragms,notbeingstretched tightly, but left with sufficient of the material between the rims of the disks, so as to form a loose or readily-movable diaphragm, as shown at the right in Fig. 1.

I is the valve-plug, having two central circumferential water-channels, Z t', corresponding to the ports and intercepted by two wings, t" i', opposite to each other, and which is operated so that at all times two of the four ports c' c? c c4 in the valve-casing Cshall be in com` mnuication but cut off from the other two ports,which are also in communication. Thus inthe positions shown in Figs. 1 and 2 the ports c' c2 are in communication, and this enables water to flow from the supply-pipe B through coupling C' and port c" into the valvechannel and out through port ci and coupling CL into pipe D and hollow post E, and thence through pipe e into the spacebetween disk F and diaphragm I-I 'while at the same time water, which is in the space 'between disk F' and diaphragm H' at the other end of the device, is flowing by gravity, assisted by pressure, as afterward described, out through pipe e', post E', andpipe D' into the other channel t' of the va1ve,through coupling C and port c3, and thencev out through port c* and coupling C' into the outlet or discharge pipe D2.

Through'the vertically-perforated center of the valve-plug I there passes the stem K, formed in one piece with the curved horizontal horns L L,each horn being provided with the stops or projections Z Z', respectively, faced with leather, rubber, felt, or other suitable material, while from the under side of said horns, and about midway between the stops Z Z' and the stem K, there project .the lugs k la', as shown in the inverted plan view of said stem and horns, Fig. 4L.

The top of the valve-plug I is shown in Fig. 5 as being provided with two ears, .I and J', (only one of which, J', appears in Fig. 3, as that view represents'the valve in the position shown in Fig. 5, and the section is taken on the line y y of that iigure,) which ears are adapted to come in contact with the lugs 7c L' in the operation of the device, as hereinafter explained. The stem K projects below the valve-casing, and its lower end is screwthreaded and provided with a nut, 7a2, and washer 7c, between which and the flanged collar le* at the base of the valve-casing C, there is interposed the spring K' to keep the stem in place, and yet permit it to freely move, as required. i

' Secured to the platform A by suitable brackets, m m', or otherwise,"are the couplings M M', each having two branches, one terminating in the air-inlet ports or nozzles N N', and the other receiving one end ofthe pipes O O', which IOO communicate, respectively,with the air-space between the disk G and its diaphragm H and that between the disk G and its diaphragm H. At the opposite side of the platform from the brackets m m there rises the fulernm P, having a horizontal stationary arbor, p, on which turns the sleeve q of a pendulum-rod Q, having weight Q'- at its free end,while from the opposite side of the said sleeve, and in line with the rod Q, there projects the toot-h q'.

R is arod,which extends from the space on the inner side of disk G to the similar space on the inner side of disk G', (passing through stuffing-boxes i' r' on the outside of said disks,) and having a central stationary cylinder, R', for operation of the tooth q', as hereinafter described, while each end of said rod R terminates in a iiat disk, R, within the air-spaces on the inner side of the disks G G', one of said disks, R2,only being shown. Above the stuft'- ing-boxes r r' on the disks G G' are suitable bearings for sustaining the pipes S S', which also communicate with the air-spaces inside of said disks,and which pipes are continued,after being intercepted by the check-valves T T,to ward each other and meet above the center of my device, being there joined to a single pipe, S2, which leads to the reservoir of compressed Yair, if it is desired to store the same, orto thedpoint at which the compressed air is to be use U is a spring extending from a stationary arm, V, at one end of my device to a pin, u, upon the horn L' ofthe valve-stem K.

'Ihe operation of my device will be readily understood from the foregoing description.

Let us suppose that the parts are in the rela` tive positions shown in Fig. 1. Tater enters the pipe AB and proceeds along` the course already described in detail to the space between the disk F and diaphragm H, at the left-hand Y side of thel device, as shown in the drawings.

Now, as this water-space becomes illed the water presses against the movable diaphragm H and forces the' latter toward the disk G, earrying with it the iiat disk It2 in the air-space between H and G, and consequently the rod R. As the last-named space is full of air,this air will be compressed by this action, and as in the position shown4 the stop Z on the horn L closes tightly the orifice at the end of the nozzle N, the only escape for the compressed air is up out through the pipes S S2 to the reservoir or other point of destination at the end of said pipe S". The rod R encounters no resistance at its other end, because the check-valve 'I" prevents any of the compressed air from entering the air-space of the disks at the right-hand side of the machine through pipe S'; and, moreover, the port N' on that side is open, and all this time whatever water may be in the water-space at the right-hand side is running out,by the course already described,from the pipe e' to the outlet-pipe D2, and so the rod R moves on with its right-hand disk R2 pressing the diaphragm I-I over against the disk F; bu-t in this movement of the rod R the cylinder It on said rod is slipping over the tooth q', and the instant the tooth is free fromthe cylinder the weight Q operates to swing the rod-Q over in the opposite direction, with weight Q adjacent to the disk G', and as the weighted rod moves over, the lower end of the said rod Q strikes the horn L', and carries it along until the spring U, attached to said horn, is carried beyond its center of motion, when the tension of the said spring will continue the motion in the same direction :and bring the stop Z' oi' the horn L' against the nozzle N', thereby closing the airport on the right-hand side of my deviceA and opening the port N to the outside air, which rushes up through tube O and fills the air-space between disk G and diaphragm H at the left-hand side of my device, while at the Sametime the j ust described movement of the horn L' serves to bring its lug 7c' in contact with the ear J' on the valve-plug I, and turn said plug so that the course of the inflowing water will be from pipe B through coupling-branch C' and port c into the other channel t' of the valve, and out through port c3 and branch C, and pipe D', post E', and pipe e'into the watersspace between disk F' and diaphragm H', while the water-space between diaphragm H and disk F at the other side of the device is being simultaneously emptied through the channel e, E, D, C2, ci, fi, c4, C", and D2, and the already-described action of rods It and Q and spring U and connecting parts takes place in the opposite direction, the rod Q now striking the horn L and forcing these parts back into the position shown in Fig. I, and so on, back and forth. continuously.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. In a hydraulic air-compressor, the combination, with the operating-arms of the watervalves and air-inlet portsof the air-chambers, of lugs or projections on said operating-arms, which serve to open and close the said air-inlet ports simultaneously with the movement of the water-valves, substantially as set forth. 2. In a hydraulic air-compressor7 the com bination, with opposing water-chambers, each water-chamber being. separated from. a correspending air-compressing chamber by an impervious iiexible diaphragm, of a rod having disks at its extremities within the air-cham1 bers, said disks being independent of and free from connection with said diaphragms, waterconnections having suitable valves, and connecting mechanism whereby the pressure of the diaphragms, actuated by the water against said disks,will reciprocate the rod and serve to admit and release water to and from the waterchambers, substantially as set i'orth.

8. In a hydraulic air-compressor, the combination, with the opposin water-ch ambers, each chamber being separated from a corresponding aircompressing chamber by an impervious iexible diaphragm, ofa reciprocating rod having disks at its extremities within the air- IOO ISO

chamber, and bearing a central enlargement or projection, a weighted pendulum-rod having a tooth adapted to engage with the central proj ection on said rod, Water-pipes connecting with the Water-chambers and having a valve at their point of union with the supply and discharge pipes, air-tubes having inletports and connecting With the air-chambers, a watervalve stem l1( ving horns provided with stops for closing one or the otherof the air-inlet ports and simultaneously shifting the Watervalve ports, and a spring for continuing the niotion of the valve-stem horns when the same have been carried past the center of Vmotion by the pendulum-rod, substantially as set forth.

4. In a hydraulic air-compressor, the combination, with the opposing Waterchambers, each chamber being separated from a corresponding aircompressing chamber by Van impervious flexible diaphragm, ofthe rod R, having disks ply and discharge pipes, valve-stem K, with 25 horns L L, projections ck, and stops l Z', valveplug I, with ears .I J', penduluin-rod Q, with tooth q and Weight Q', air-tubes O O', connecting with the air-chambers and having air-inlet ports N N spring U, secured'to the val ve-stein, 3o

and co mpressed-air pipes provided with. cheekvalves, substantially as set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand, at Milwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee and State ot'\Visco11 3 sin, in the presence of two witnesses.

VARREN S. JOHNSON.

Witnesses:

H. G. UNDERWooD, MAURICE F, FREAR. 

